It’s National Pizza Month! These Are America's 25 Best Pizzerias

Not all pizza is created equal, but many people would argue that just about all of it is pretty darn good. While purists might still consider an old-school Neapolitan pie a cut above the rest, the growing diversity in the world of pizza is definitely a good thing for our taste buds.

In honor of National Pizza Month, The Daily Meal combed every corner of the country to find out which pizzerias are serving the most delicious slices of pie. The team researched the newest and best pizzerias across the nation, created a survey that included almost 1000 of them, and then sent that survey to chefs, restaurant critics, bloggers, writers, and other culinary authorities.

The survey asked panelists to vote for their favorite pizzerias based on a rather open-ended definition of “the perfect pie,” which The Daily Meal explains must have a “neither too sweet nor too salty” sauce, “well-distributed cheese,” “sensibly combined toppings,” a “flavorful, savory crust,” and “a judicious, well-balanced and pleasing ratio” of ingredients that “maintains a structural integrity no matter the style.”

Based on that definition, it seems like voters were pretty much asked to follow their hearts. Did their hearts (and other senses) lead them to New York, pizza’s biggest braggart? For many of them, yes: Out of the top 25 pizzerias, 12 of them are located in New York.

Having said that, the list was not without its surprises. The legendary Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut, took the top spot, trailed by Brooklyn-based Lucali and Razza Pizza Artigianale in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Though the East Coast undoubtedly dominated, Arizona, Oregon, and California each made the list once, and Illinois claimed a respectable three spots.

The pies themselves ranged from Sicilian-style to Chicago’s polarizing deep dish, and each one is its own unique thing of beauty.

Take a look at the top 25 below, and see The Daily Meal’s comprehensive list of the 101 best pizzerias here.

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (New Haven, Connecticut)

Lucali (Brooklyn, New York)

Razza Pizza Artigianale (Jersey City, New Jersey)

Pequod’s (Chicago, Illinois)

Buddy’s Pizza (Detroit, Michigan)

Totonno’s (Brooklyn, New York)

Sally’s Apizza (New Haven, Connecticut)

Patsy’s (New York, New York)

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria (Chicago, Illinois)

John’s of Bleecker Street (New York, New York)

Joe’s (New York, New York)

Santarpio’s (Boston, Massachusetts)

Una Pizza Napoletana (New York, New York)

Prince St. Pizza (New York, New York)

Pizzeria Beddia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Di Fara (Brooklyn, New York)

Pizzeria Bianco (Phoenix, Arizona)

Grimaldi’s (Brooklyn, New York)

Lombardi’s (New York, New York)

Modern Apizza (New Haven, Connecticut)

Piece (Chicago, Illinois)

Pizzeria Delfina (San Francisco, California)

Lovely’s Fifty Fifty (Portland, Oregon)

Motorino (New York, New York)

Roberta’s (Brooklyn, New York)

By the way: Did you know that the word pizza dates all the way back to 997 CE? Find out more mouthwatering pizza facts here.

This Smart Accessory Converts Your Instant Pot Into an Air Fryer

If you can make a recipe in a slow cooker, Dutch oven, or rice cooker, you can likely adapt it for an Instant Pot. Now, this all-in-one cooker can be converted into an air fryer with one handy accessory.

This Instant Pot air fryer lid—currently available on Amazon for $80—adds six new cooking functions to your 6-quart Instant Pot. You can select the air fry setting to get food hot and crispy fast, using as little as 2 tablespoons of oil. Other options include roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and reheat.

Many dishes you would prepare in the oven or on the stovetop can be made in your Instant Pot when you switch out the lids. Chicken wings, French fries, and onion rings are just a few of the possibilities mentioned in the product description. And if you're used to frying being a hot, arduous process, this lid works without consuming a ton of energy or heating up your kitchen.

The lid comes with a multi-level air fry basket, a broiling and dehydrating tray, and a protective pad and storage cover. Check it out on Amazon.

For more clever ways to use your Instant Pot, take a look at these recipes.

At Mental Floss, we only write about the products we love and want to share with our readers, so all products are chosen independently by our editors. Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a percentage of any sale made from the links on this page. Prices and availability are accurate as of the time of publication.

This Smart Accessory Converts Your Instant Pot Into an Air Fryer

If you can make a recipe in a slow cooker, Dutch oven, or rice cooker, you can likely adapt it for an Instant Pot. Now, this all-in-one cooker can be converted into an air fryer with one handy accessory.

This Instant Pot air fryer lid—currently available on Amazon for $80—adds six new cooking functions to your 6-quart Instant Pot. You can select the air fry setting to get food hot and crispy fast, using as little as 2 tablespoons of oil. Other options include roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, and reheat.

Many dishes you would prepare in the oven or on the stovetop can be made in your Instant Pot when you switch out the lids. Chicken wings, French fries, and onion rings are just a few of the possibilities mentioned in the product description. And if you're used to frying being a hot, arduous process, this lid works without consuming a ton of energy or heating up your kitchen.

The lid comes with a multi-level air fry basket, a broiling and dehydrating tray, and a protective pad and storage cover. Check it out on Amazon.

For more clever ways to use your Instant Pot, take a look at these recipes.

At Mental Floss, we only write about the products we love and want to share with our readers, so all products are chosen independently by our editors. Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a percentage of any sale made from the links on this page. Prices and availability are accurate as of the time of publication.